Eponym | The name of something that is also the name of someone credited with inventing or discovering it. |
Etymology | A study of the history of a word and its earlier forms and meanings. |
Euphemism | A mild, indirect vague term used instead of one considered harsh or offensive |
Exophoric reference | Where a word refers to something outside a text for its meaning, typically as a consequence of a writer or speaker’s expectations as to the knowledge already possessed by the text’s intended audience. |
Figurative language | Language which expands upon the basic or literal meaning of a word or phrase (e.g. simile or metaphor). |
First person narrative | Where a character in a story narrates the events that they are experiencing. Recognised by the use of I, we, us, our. |
Foregrounding | Using grammatical or syntactic devices to draw attention to a particular idea in a text. |
Form | Generally, the specific type of whatever category is being considered (e.g. textual form, verb form, grammatical form). |
Formality | The extent to which spoken or written texts either conform to standard conventions or employ more personal language strategies. |
Genre | A subdivision of textual form determined by the text’s content (e.g. fantasy novel, tragic play, ballad, online review, television commercial, formal report). |
Grammar | Has a wide meaning, but generally relates to rules for the organisation of meaning in a language. |
Head word | The main word in a phrase (e.g. the noun boy in the noun phrase the happy boy). |
Idiom | Phrases generally understood in a language but which do not directly translate (e.g. I caught the train by the skin of my teeth = I only just caught the train in time). |
In medias res | Beginning a narrative in the middle of the events without any build-up or initial explanation. |
Inference | The act of deducing implied meanings. |
Infinitive | The basic, dictionary form of a verb when not associated with a tense. |
Intensifier | A word, often an adverb or adjective, which has little meaning by itself but is used to add force to other phrases (e.g. really, very). |
Intertextuality | Where a text produces additional meaning by referring in some way to another text. |
Irony | When the intended meaning of a text or utterance differs radically from its literal interpretation. |
Jargon | Words and phrases known primarily by a group of people – often within a particular profession – which enable them to exchange complex information efficiently. Jargon may be unintelligible to people outside the group who use it. |
Lexical field | A set of words grouped by meaning around a specific subject- law or medicine, for example |
Lexis | The complete vocabulary of a language. |
Metalanguage | Language which is used to describe or comment on language (e.g. This translates as… or I meant to say...). |
Modality | The modality of an utterance refers to the attitude a speaker or writer takes to the idea being expressed (e.g. certainty, possibility, obligation, ability). Modality is usually conveyed by the use of the appropriate grammatical mood. |
Mode | The format through which ideas or content are communicated to an audience. Modes include spoken (e.g. a conversation, a spontaneous speech), written (e.g. a novel, the text of a leaflet), electronic (e.g. an email, a blog), and image (e.g. a photograph), and can be combined in a variety of mixed modes (e.g. a prepared speech, a podcast). |
Modifier | A word or phrase-that qualifies or describes (usually an adverb/adverbial phrase or adjective/adjective phrase) |
Monologue | Discourse entirely spoken or written by one person |
Mood | A grammatical feature through which a speaker or writer can express modality (i.e. an attitude towards the content of an utterance), usually involving modal verbs such as can, ought or might. Moods include the indicative/declarative (making a statement), the interrogative (asking a question), the imperative (making a command), and the subjunctive (expressing wishes or uncertainty). |
Multimodal | Consisting of more than one mode. |
Narrative | A spoken or written account of connected events |
Narrative structure | The way in which a story is constructed. |
Narrative voice | The voice of the person telling the story |
Netspeak | The language of the internet |
Noun | A word that identifies people, places, or things |
Noun phrase | A word (or group of words working together) which names a person, place or thing. |
Object | In grammar, the object is the thing or person acted upon by the subject (e.g. the phrase the meal in the sentence The girl ate the meal). |
Omniscient narrator | Where the narrator in a story knows all the thoughts, actions and feelings of the characters. |
Passive voice | Where the subject receives the action of a verb (e.g. The ball was kicked). |
Personification | Attributing human characteristics to nonhuman things |
Perspective | Point of view. |
Phrase | A group of words that do not constitute a complete sentence. |